Is it immoral to eat your pets in an emergency?

I live in the city, so it's not legal to keep livestock or chickens, but what if I want to be a prepper, or just believe in some imminent apocalypse... Is it immoral to have some extra cats and dogs at home so they can keep my meat fresh?

I would of course take good care of them and keep them healthy and well fed. The cat didn't seem pleased at all, but the dog seemed excited to be of good use to me when I asked her.

Why not stock up on non-perishable food instead? Keeping pets as emergency rations seems unethical to me. Though, come to think of it, maybe it's you who is the emergency ration.

I've thought of that too. Perhaps I have an accident and the pets need something to feed on. If I were able, I would be a little upset about the cat, but the dog is loyal enough that I would donate my body for her.

I live in the city, so it's not legal to keep livestock or chickens, but what if I want to be a prepper, or just believe in some imminent apocalypse... Is it immoral to have some extra cats and dogs at home so they can keep my meat fresh?

I would of course take good care of them and keep them healthy and well fed. The cat didn't seem pleased at all, but the dog seemed excited to be of good use to me when I asked her.

Friend, I don't think it is immoral to raise animals for meat. Farmers do it all the time. In our current society, pet animals are not seen as food animals, but that is pretty arbitrary given that pigs are some of the smartest and social animals out there.

While not immoral in my opinion it suggests that you are not to be trusted. Anyone who could easily consume animals that they've formed a social relationship with would probably have a reduced reluctance to killing and eating humans and is therefore not to be readily trusted. All social relationships you form with humans will have you in the "not fully trusted" social groups reducing the benefits of socializing with other humans.

chickens and turkeys are pretty dumb, but some people still get attached to them. most of the rest of the mammals are, you know, mammals. and especially when they're young with the big eyes and cutsey playfullness it's easy to get attached to them.

i mean, not like Ol Yeller attached, but still.

and even after all that familiarization with killing things close to them ... farm kids tend to not be that violent and weapons irresponsible like the inner city gang bangers are.

chickens and turkeys are pretty dumb, but some people still get attached to them. most of the rest of the mammals are, you know, mammals. and especially when they're young with the big eyes and cutsey playfullness it's easy to get attached to them.

i mean, not like Ol Yeller attached, but still.

and even after all that familiarization with killing things close to them ... farm kids tend to not be that violent and weapons irresponsible like the inner city gang bangers are.

strange how reality is 180 degrees from your hypothesis.

I'm not so concerned that the pets will eat or attack me... I've never met a pet like that, and if the odds are against me, so be it.

I just want to know if they are good pets because they trusted me not to eat them, ever. If they thought I might eat them someday would they have been a different pet? That's my moral conundrum.

If it is meat, it is food in an emergency. But to be clear, we are talking about "we are out of food, and there are roaming bands of ravagers" not, "the pizza delivery is late".

Also, that picture could be organized a little better. Rabbits are fairly common meat sources and should be much more to the right then horses, which are generally not as favored since their meat is usually not considered very appetizing. Also, three cats and four dogs? I guess their point couldn't have been made well if 90% of the animals on it were obviously food.

If it is meat, it is food in an emergency. But to be clear, we are talking about "we are out of food, and there are roaming bands of ravagers" not, "the pizza delivery is late".

Also, that picture could be organized a little better. Rabbits are fairly common meat sources and should be much more to the right then horses, which are generally not as favored since their meat is usually not considered very appetizing. Also, three cats and four dogs? I guess their point couldn't have been made well if 90% of the animals on it were obviously food.

So what that picture is saying is that a golden retriever is closer to food then a basset hound?

She fell silent for several seconds. Finally, she said, “They have a plan.” “Who?” “They always have a plan,” she said. “They work out everything in advance.” “What plan?” “They picked me to survive. I’m youngest. I have the skills necessary to get home alive. And I’m the smallest and need the least food.” “What happens if the probe fails, Beth?” her father asked. “Everyone would die but me,” she said. “They’d all take pills and die. They’ll do it right away so they don’t use up any food. Commander Lewis picked me to be the survivor. She told me about it yesterday. I don’t think NASA knows about it.” “And the supplies would last until you got back to Earth?” “No,” she said. “We have enough food left to feed six people for a month. If I was the only one, it would last six months. With a reduced diet I could stretch it to nine. But it’ll be seventeen months before I get back.” “So how would you survive?” “The supplies wouldn’t be the only source of food,” she said. He widened his eyes. “Oh…oh my god…” “Just tell Mom the supplies would last, okay?”

A large dairy animal approached Zaphod Beelebrox’s table, a large fat meaty quadraped of the bovine type with large watery eyes, small horns and what might have been an ingratiating smile on its lips.

“Good evening,” it lowed and sat back heavily on its haunches, “I am the main Dish of the Day. May I interest you in parts of my body?” It harrumphed and gurgled a bit, wriggled its hind quarters into a more comfortable position and gazed peacefully at them.

Its gaze was met by looks of startled bewilderment from Arthur and Trillian, a resigned shrug from Ford Prefect and naked hunger from Zaphod Beeblebrox.

“Something off the shoulder perhaps?” suggested the animal. “Braised in a white wine sauce?”

Zaphod leapt to his feet and started prodding and feeling the animal’s shoulder appreciatively.

“Or the rump is very good,” murmured the animal. “I’ve been exercising it and eating plenty of grain, so there’s a lot of good meat there.” It gave a mellow grunt, gurgled again and started to chew the cud. It swallowed the cud again.

“Better than eating an animal that doesn’t want to be eaten,” said Zaphod.

“That’s not the point,” Arthur protested. Then he thought about it for a moment. “All right,” he said, “maybe it is the point. I don’t care, I’m not going to think about it now. I’ll just … er …”

The Universe raged about him in its death throes.

“I think I’ll just have a green salad,” he muttered.

“May I urge you to consider my liver?” asked the animal, “it must be very rich and tender by now, I’ve been force feeding myself for months.”

“A green salad,” said Arthur emphatically.

“A green salad?” said the animal, rolling his eyes disapprovingly at Arthur.

“Are you going to tell me,” said Arthur, “that I shouldn’t have the green salad?”

“Well,” said the animal, “I know many vegetables that are clear on that point. Which is why it was eventually decided to cut through the whole tangled problem and breed an animal that actually wanted to be eaten and was capable of saying so clearly and distinctly. And here I am.”

It managed a very slight bow.

“Glass of water please,” said Arthur.

“Look,” said Zaphod, “we want to eat, we don’t want to make a meal of the issues. Four rare steaks please, and hurry. We haven’t eaten in five hundred and seventy-six thousand million years.”

The animal staggered to its feet. It gave a mellow gurgle.

“A very wise choice, sir, if I may say so. Very good,” it said. “I’ll just nip off and shoot myself.”